The Elusive Extra Life in Level 1

It looks like it would be easy to grab, but this extra life at the beginning of level 1 is a 50/50 coin toss at best. I spent a childhood trying to perfect my leap, but could never get it consistently. This game gets pretty difficult pretty fast, and you need every life you can get if you want to make it very far. It's like they put this in front of you just to mock your efforts before you can even get started.

Level 3: The Turbo Tunnel

Anyone who clicked this list surely knew the infamous Turbo Tunnel level would be on it. It's not just one of the most frustrating levels in Battletoads, it’s one of the most frustrating things life has to offer. Playing the music from this level around anyone who owned the game has been proven to increase heartrates and risk of a stroke.

The Turbo Tunnel (still)

It deserves another spot on this list because it’s really tough. Your vehicle keeps accelerating and these new walls and hurdles keep popping up. The only way to beat this level was to memorize every single part of its terrible routine, like some game of Simon programmed by the devil. The minds of children should be learning basic math and social skills, not tattooing Nintendo levels directly onto the frontal lobe.

Losing All Your Lives on the Turbo Tunnel Level

You know how some people say there are never enough hours in the day? Well, there really aren’t enough lives in Battletoads to beat the Turbo Tunnel level. You’d lose all your lives, hit a game over screen then get three chances to continue from the beginning. All of these lives combined still weren't enough to beat this thing. What the hell are we doing here? Is this a joke to you, Nintendo? It’s not a very funny joke. I’m trying to play this game now as an adult and it’s SIGNIFICANTLY harder because I don’t have hundreds of consecutive hours under my belt.

Not Having Any Lives for Post-Turbo Tunnel Levels

Even if you did manage to beat the level (which you didn’t, you loser) you would have no lives for the next levels. The game was basically the worst. It was also really fun so, much like dating a good looking person who treats you like garbage, it was tough to put down. Looking back on it, Battletoads was definitely the first (and probably most) abusive relationship I’ve ever been a part of.

Not Throwing Your Controller Through the TV

The most difficult thing about playing the Battletoads game was not throwing your controller through the TV after all the bullshit the game put you through. Anyone who was able to resist the temptation to shatter a screen over this cartridge deserves a medal. If hell exists, it probably is just you playing the turbo tunnel level for the rest of your life. I try to pick up a controller and stop by hell every 5 years for about 2 hours at a time. It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.